ARCATA – The upcoming holidays could be the happiest for the Chico State basketball team in over half a century. With two wins at DeBini Holiday Classic at Humboldt State this weekend, the Wildcats could boast a 6-1 start to the season for the first time since 1944-45. Chico State faces Notre Dame de Namur Friday and Academy of Art Saturday. Both games will tip off at 5:30 PM.

Both games will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio (101.7 FM and 1340 AM). Mike Wessels will have the call. Those out of the Chico area can listen to Wessels’ broadcast via the Wildcat Webcast link by clicking here or on the Wildcats Webcast banner on the right side of the page. Live stats can be followed via the Humboldt State Website at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/.

At 4-1, Chico State has already matched its best start since the 1989-90 season thanks to a defense that has allowed only 63.8 points per game and an offense that has turned the ball over only 13.2 times per game, good for 36th in the nation. Chico State’s lone lost came to Seattle Pacific, which is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation. The Wildcats are currently riding a three-game winning streak following wins at San Francisco State and Cal State Monterey Bay to open California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, and at home against Pacific Union.

Friday will mark the Wildcats’ first meeting with Notre Dame de Namur (1-7) since 1998 when they were both a part of the Northern California Athletic Association and the Argonauts were still referred to as the College of Notre Dame. The Wildcats won that game 77-74 and lead the all-time series 18-3.

Chico State and Academy of Art (0-6) will be facing off for the first time on Saturday. The Urban Knights’ program is in its second year of existence.

A number of Wildcats have made key contributions to the hot start. Terence Pellum leads the Wildcats and ranks second in the CCAA in scoring at 15.6 points per game. He’s shooting 63 percent, which ranks 36th in the nation. Point guard Jay Flores leads the CCAA and ranks eighth in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.0 and he leads the CCAA and ranks 33rd in the nation with 5.6 assists per game. Jon Baird, sitting on 98 career 3-pointers, has buried 3.2 per game from long distance, which is tops in the CCAA and 27th in the nation. And Roderick Hawkins and Damario Sims have led a deep bench that’s responsible for 37-percent of the team’s scoring and rebounding thus far.

Chico State Men's Basketball Notes for Dec. 18-19